Developing the Space Ecosystem in India: Focusing on Inclusive Growth

India's space programme is one of the most cost-effective in the world. India has gained global recognition for successfully launching lunar probes, constructing satellites, transporting foreign satellites, and even reaching Mars. The global space economy is currently valued at approximately US$ 360 billion. India is the 4th nation to enter the elite space power club with an anti-satellite weapon. Despite being one of the world's few spacefaring nations, India accounts for only around 2% of the global space industry. Last year in 2022, there were 180 orbital launches, which is more than double the 86 launches five years prior. All major economies are striving to explore and exploit space. This is not restricted to government-sponsored space programmes. Private space exploration has emerged as one of the fastest-growing sectors. Under the umbrella of a new organisation called IN-SPACe, India's business sector, including start-ups and diversifying established firms, would be able to take part in the country's space journey.

Within the global space economy, the private sector has played an increasingly important role in other spacefaring countries over the last two decades. To fully unlock the potential of India's youth and entrepreneurs, the Prime Minister has emphasised the importance of encouraging private sector participation in all areas of high technology, including space. Promoting the private sector will allow the Indian space programme to stay cost competitive in the global space market, resulting in the creation of numerous jobs in space and other related areas. The effective use of space technologies has the potential to revolutionise government services while also accelerating development initiatives. The 'outer space' can be used to spark scientific curiosity in young people and urge them to pursue academic careers in STEM fields.

Indian Space Background

The Indian National Committee for Space Research ("INCOSPAR") was established under the Department of Atomic Energy in 1962, marking India's first entry into space research and exploration. INCOSPAR was superseded in 1969 by the Indian Space Research Organisation ("ISRO"), with the goal of using space technology to advance India's position in the worldwide competition of space exploration. Furthermore, the Department of Space and the Space Commission (DSSC) was legally established in 1972.

With the additional resources provided by the DSSC, ISRO developed the first Indian satellite, Aryabhata, and launched it with Soviet Union assistance in 1975 as the country's first achievement in space. This resulted in a better understanding of satellite technology and related research, including TV broadcasting through the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) programme.

In 1980, Rohini became the first Indian satellite to be successfully launched into orbit by India using an indigenously built launch vehicle, SLV-3. Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian citizen to go into space as part of a three-member Soviet Indian crew in 1984. Since then, India has expanded its space programme to include communication, broadcasting, meteorology, defence, GEO satellites, astronomy, cartography, academic research, and even exploration of the Moon via two Chandrayaan missions and of Mars via the Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter Mission.

The number of launches undertaken by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) during 2021-22 to 2023-24 (planned) is as follows:

Note: *Including the missions expected to be achieved by March 2023
Source: Department of Space

Present Scenario

India currently has two significant satellite systems in operation. The Indian Remote Sensing Satellite System (IRS) is utilised for monitoring and managing natural deposits, and the Indian National Satellite System (INSAT) is used for telecommunications, television transmission, and meteorological services. India has the world's largest network of remote-sensing satellites for civil use. It comprises a plethora of satellites designed to fulfil national needs. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), one of two current launch vehicles, is primarily used to launch experiment satellites, remote sensing payloads, and payloads weighing up to 1,600 kg into polar or low Earth orbits. Second, India has developed a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) that can deliver satellites weighing up to 2,200 kg into orbit.

Space Centres in India

International Cooperation

The Indian space programme has always prioritised international collaboration. ISRO has signed over 25 agreements encompassing various space technology and services.

Internationally, ISRO is active in sharing its expertise and satellite data for natural disaster management through multi-agency organisations like as the International Charter for Space and Major Disasters, Sentinel Asia, and UNSPIDER. The UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UN OOSA) has also established the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education for Asia and the Pacific (CSSTE-AP) in India.

As ISRO's capabilities improve, the scope of international cooperation broadens and diversifies. ISRO/DOS and India have signed space cooperation documents with space agencies from 61 countries (Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Russia, Sao-Tome & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sultanate of Oman, Sweden, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, The Netherlands, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Viet Nam) and 5 multinational bodies (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts – ECMWF; European Commission – EC, European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites - EUMETSAT, European Space Agency – ESA; and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation – SAARC).

Business Milestones

• Owning and operating the satellites on Demand Driven model
  • GSAT-24 communication satellite: 1st Demand Driven Mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)
    NSIL launched its first Demand Driven Communication Satellite Mission, GSAT-24, to fulfil the needs of Direct-To-Home (DTH) service providers. On June 23, 2022, the satellite was successfully launched on an Ariane-V [VA 257 flight] from Kourou, French Guiana. The GSAT-24 satellite has been placed in its allotted orbital slot, 83° E, and is undergoing in-orbit testing.
  • Discussions with potential customers for undertaking 2nd and 3rd Demand Driven Communicatio Satellite Missions for NSIL
    NSIL is in conversations with possible customers about using the services of GSAT-20, a 4-tonne class High Throughput Satellite (HTS), to address Broadband connectivity needs.
• End-to-End Launch Vehicle building through Indian Industry

As part of this mandate, NSIL signed a contract with M/s HAL [Lead Partner of the M/s HAL and L&T consortia] to manufacture five PSLVs. The first wholly Indian-made PSLV will be delivered by 2024, with succeeding vehicles arriving every six months.

• Launch Services for customer satellites on-board ISRO’s Launch Vehicle
  • NSIL has successfully launched 48 international and 1 Indian customer satellite on PSLV to date. In addition, NSIL has three further Dedicated PSLV Launch Service agreements for foreign customer satellite launches in 2023 and 2024.
  • On June 30, 2022, NSIL successfully completed its second dedicated commercial launch mission, launching the DS-EO satellite along with two co-passenger spacecraft from Singapore onboard PSLV-C53.
  • On October 23, 2022, NSIL launched 36 OneWeb LEO Broadband Communication Satellites onboard LVM3 for M/s Network Access Associates Limited (M/s OneWeb), United Kingdom. This was a historic moment for NSIL as it has entered the global commercial launch service industry.
  • Under a commercial partnership, NSIL launched 7 Co-passenger Customer Satellites - Thybolt-1 and Thybolt-2 of Dhruva Space, India; Anand Satellite of Pixxel Inc., USA; and 4 Satellites of Astrocast, Switzerland - onboard PSLV-C54 in November 2022.
• Satellite Building
  • NSIL is currently constructing a Spacecraft Bus for an Indian customer for launch onboard PSLV in the third quarter of 2023.
  • NSIL has presented Techno-Commercial Proposals to domestic and international customers for
    • Construction of communication satellites
    • Construction of Earth Observation Satellites
    • Provision of Satellite Bus Platforms
    • Establishment of Ground Segment.
• Satcom Services
  • In July 2022, the Union Cabinet of the Government of India (GoI) approved the transfer of ten in-orbit communication satellites from the GoI to NSIL, namely GSAT-8, GSAT-10, GSAT-12R, GSAT-14, GSAT-15, GSAT-16, GSAT-17, GSAT-18, GSAT-30, and GSAT-31. With this transfer, NSIL now owns these 10 satellites and provides various services such as DTH, VSAT, TV, DSNG, etc to customers from the government, private, and public sectors via 150+ agreements/memorandums of understanding.
  • NSIL is also offering HTS capacity on GSAT-11, GSAT-19, and GSAT-29 satellites to government, private, and public sector customers.
  • NSIL also provides transponder capacity from foreign satellites to Indian users on a back-to-back basis.
• Mission Support
  • As part of mission support services, NSIL has provided six (6) Launch Vehicle Tracking Supports and two (2) Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) Supports to Indian and international customers to date.
  • In December 2022, NSIL offered Launch Vehicle Tacking Support to an international customer.
  • For the second year, NSIL continues to provide TTC assistance for the Amazonia-1 Mission.
  • During 2023, NSIL signed four contracts for Deep Space Mission Support and Mission Support Service Contracts with international and Indian customers.
• Technology Transfer & Spin-of
  • NSIL has inked 25 Technology Transfer Agreements, till now for the transfer of ISRO-developed technologies to industry. NSIL has signed six Technology Transfer Agreements this year.
  • The transmission of IMS-1 satellite bus technology to the Indian industry is NSIL's most significant achievement in Technology transmission.
  • With technical assistance from Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), approximately 900 ASICs have been supplied to the Indian industry for locomotive applications.

Indian Space Sector - Capacity Building

• Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Rights

ISRO has transferred over 363 technologies to over 250 industries across India. ISRO has signed an MOU with NSIL to transfer ISRO's technologies.

Source: Department of Space

ISRO has over 223 active patents, 73 copyrights, and 13 trademarks. In 2022-23, 87 patent applications are being examined, and 21 are being drafted by patent attorneys before being filed at the patent office.

Source: Department of Space

• Academia Research Collaborations

ISRO established the RESPOND (Sponsored Research) programme in the 1970s to encourage universities to participate and contribute to various space-related research activities. This initiative provides financial and technical assistance to Indian academia for research and development activities associated with Space Science, Space Technology, and Space Applications. The RESPOND plan intends to strengthen the academic foundation and produce high-quality people resources and facilities at academic institutions to support India's space mission. ISRO has also established nine Space Technology Cells (STC) at prestigious institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) - Bombay, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, Guwahati, Roorkee, and Delhi; the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru; and the Joint Research Programme with Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU, Pune). In 2022-23, 34 sponsored projects have been successfully completed.

Source: Department of Space

• Human Resource Development
  • ISRO Technical Training Programme (ITTP)
    On April 27, 2022, ISRO signed an agreement with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) to organise the ISRO Technical Training Programme (ITTP). The plan aims to provide skill development training to ISRO technical staff at various technical facilities of National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) across the country through MSDE.
  • Management Development Programme
    The Capacity Building Commission (CBC), in collaboration with the STI-CB cell, the PSA's office, and ISRO, has established a Leadership Training Programme for 32 scientists from eight science ministries. The training programme was scheduled for September 27-30, 2022.
• Human Resource Development
  • ISRO Technical Training Programme (ITTP)
    On April 27, 2022, ISRO signed an agreement with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) to organise the ISRO Technical Training Programme (ITTP). The plan aims to provide skill development training to ISRO technical staff at various technical facilities of National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) across the country through MSDE.
  • Management Development Programme
    The Capacity Building Commission (CBC), in collaboration with the STI-CB cell, the PSA's office, and ISRO, has established a Leadership Training Programme for 32 scientists from eight science ministries. The training programme was scheduled for September 27-30, 2022.
• Student Engagement
  • Yuva Vigyani Karyakram-2022 (YUVIKA-2022)
    YUVIKA 2022 was an offline residential training programme that was held from May 15-28, 2022. At ISRO's five training centres, about 152 students from 36 states/UTs were trained in the space sector. Around 1 lakh students applied for the programme online, and 152 were chosen based on their academic performance, online quiz results, and achievements in other co-curricular activities.
  • Space Tutor
    Space Tutor is a student outreach programme that connects ISRO with students, academia, space enthusiasts, and others through NGEs/startups/institutions. It will facilitate the promotion of space education and STEM activities throughout the student community. 56 NGEs/Institutions/Startups from various states have registered with ISRO to promote space education in every corner of the country.
  • ISRO’s Virtual Space Museum SPARK
    The virtual space museum “SPARK” was launched on September 10, 2022, to host several documents, images & videos related to ISRO launch vehicles, satellites, and scientific missions.
  • International Moon Day
    ISRO organised an online painting/drawing and quiz competition for school pupils in classes 8th to 12th from July 6-19, 2022, as part of the international moon day celebration.
  • Antriksh Jigyasa Portal
    ISRO created the Antriksh Jiayasa online platform to provide e-learning in space science, technology, and applications. The key elements are Shiksha Gagan, Space Varta, Skypicks, Antriksh Navachar, Space Quiz, etc.
  • National Conference & Exhibition on Akash Tattva
    ISRO, in collaboration with six science and technology Ministries/Departments, organised a nationwide conference and exhibition on "AKASH TATTVA. “The national conference "Akash TattvaAkash for Life" was held on November 5-7, 2022.
• Indian Space Policy – 2023

It is an overarching, composite and dynamic framework to implement the reform vision. The policy aims to form a framework for the private sector to use ISRO facilities for a small charge and also encourages them to invest in creating new infrastructure for the sector. The operational part of ISRO’s missions will be moved to the NewSpace India Limited, a public sector undertaking under the Department of Space.

Road Ahead

Private firms including SpaceX, Blue Origin, etc have revolutionised the global space market via innovation and superior technology, cutting prices and turnaround time. However, in India, the private sector participants have been limited to serving as vendors or suppliers to the government's space programme. It is vital to allow commercial firms in the Indian space sector to establish themselves as independent participants capable of end-to-end space activities. The Indian Space Policy 2023 would lead the way forward by providing much-needed clarity in space reforms and augmenting private industry participation to promote the country's space economic opportunity. It will institutionalise private sector participation in the space industry, with ISRO focussing on advanced space technology research and development. The future of the Indian space sector is vibrant with several major initiatives and projects in progress. With continuing government funding and private-sector collaboration, India is poised to make an indelible imprint in the field of space exploration and technology.